Category: Ford News

Ford is going all-in on SUVs, and it’s reaping the benefits of appealing to drivers with a fresh lineup of exciting new vehicles. To celebrate the incredible growth of its SUV sales, Ford unveiled four new special edition models at the State Fair of Texas. These special edition Ford SUVs include the Expedition Stealth Edition, Expedition Texas Edition, Explorer Limited Luxury Edition, and the Explorer Desert Copper Edition.

Craig Patterson, large SUV marketing manager at Ford, said, “Each of these vehicles is a proof point that Ford takes seriously the need to continuously freshen an SUV lineup that is so popular with so many.”

It’s been about five years since the Ford Ranger completely replaced the Ford Courier on the global market and even longer since Ford offered a petite pickup in the United States. With the Ranger set to make a return to the United States for 2019, rumor has it that there could be a Ford compact pickup in the works.

Per Automobile, Ford is in development on a compact pickup truck that will slot below the Ranger. This truck would likely arrive by 2022, and it could be based on the architecture that underpins the new Ford Focus. Ford says that it will be “significantly expanding [its] North America lineup with all-new vehicles and entering new segments with fresh designs and white-space silhouettes,” which mainly means building on the success of its trucks,crossovers, and SUVs while moving away from conventional sedans.

Whether this Ford compact pickup truck would readopt the Courier name remains to be seen, but Road & Track reports that Ford has moved to trademark the name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Ford has not offered any official comment on whether this shall come to pass, but the team at Robbie Roberson Ford would like to offer a comment to Ford on behalf of truck-lovers everywhere: yes, please.

Ford recently revealed that it has purchased Michigan Central Station, the once-grand transportation hub in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford announced in June that the building will become the focal point of a new campus that will aim at drawing in young innovators as the company continues to focus on electrified and autonomous vehicle development and Smart Mobility solutions.

“Michigan Central Station is a place that in many ways tells the story of Detroit over the past century,” said Ford. “We at Ford want to help write the next chapter, working together in Corktown with the best startups, the smartest talent, and the thinkers, engineers, and problem-solvers who see things differently — all to shape the future of mobility and transportation.”

Ford will acquire at least 1.2 million square feet of property in Corktown on the way to developing a 900,000-square-foot campus and 300,000 square feet of community and retail space and residential housing. Once complete, Ford is expected to house 2,500 employees in Corktown by 2022.

The plan to develop a new campus in Corktown will not impact Ford’s Dearborn Campus Transportation plan, which kicked off in 2016 and is ongoing today. Ford says that the Wagner Place development in West Dearborn and a new driving dynamics lab on its Product Development Campus will open later this summer.

Ford has revealed its revamped 2019 Fusion sedan, which gets a new grille, wheel designs, colors, and a sleeker body. But for its aesthetic updates, the big news with the 2019 Ford Fusion is its newest featured technology—Ford Co-Pilot360™, which offers up the most comprehensive and advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies on the market.

“People tell us they are stressed with crowded roads and more distracted drivers and pedestrians. Our Ford Co-Pilot360 with standard automatic emergency braking and other technologies can help them drive more confidently so they can enjoy the journey,” said Corey Holter, Ford car group marketing manager.

For the Fusion SE and up, Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist adds voice-activated navigation and SiriusXM® Traffic and Travel Link, as well as SYNC® 3 with 8-inch LCD touchscreen. The 2019 Ford Fusion SE and above will also be offered with the Ford+Alexa app, which enables drivers to utilize thousands of Alexa skills; Waze compatibility for enhanced navigation experience; and an embedded 4G LTE modem capable of delivering Wi-Fi for up to 10 devices.

If you’re going to be on the market for a new sedan in the coming months, keep your eyes on this space to learn more about what the 2019 Ford Fusion has to offer—and when you can expect to see it here at Robbie Roberson Ford.

You can tell a lot about an automaker by looking at their vehicle’s safety ratings, as a dedication to passenger and vehicular safety as well as pedestrian safety is a necessity for the modern road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) puts Ford models through a series of crash tests every year, and to no one’s surprise, the 2018 Ford safety ratings remain just as high as ever.

2018 Ford Escape

With a top five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, the 2018 Ford Escape is one of the safest crossovers on the road. Available with an Intelligent Four-Wheel Drive System, the Ford Escape offers more control and fewer surprises.

2018 Ford Edge

Finding a safe crossover for the whole family can be a tough task, unless you’re looking at the 2018 Ford Edge. This popular model earned a five-star overall safety rating, putting it at the top of its segment with available technologies like Lane Departure Warning.

2018 Ford Mustang

If you have your heart set on the world’s most well-known pony car, you have made the right choice. The 2018 Ford Mustang scores exceptionally well, also earning a five-star safety rating in every crash test performed by the NHTSA. Available with a selection of innovative safety features, like Forward Collision Warning, the Ford Mustang is one of the safest muscle cars on the road.

These are by no means the only safe vehicles Ford produces, and by no means the only ones with five-star ratings from the NHTSA. Come have a look (or even test drive a few) here at Robbie Roberson Ford.

Robot police forces are an idea largely reserved for movies, but Ford seems motivated to make them a reality, at least as far as cars go, as the American automaker recently filed a patent for an automated police car. Filing a patent doesn’t necessary mean we’ll see the idea coming to a road near you, but it does show that Ford is open to exploring the possibility.

In theory, the automated police car would be able to issue citations and tickets to vehicles violating the laws and regulations of the road. The car would be able to use roadside sensors and cameras as well as operate independently. If an offending vehicle deserved more than a ticket or citation, the automated police car could follow it.

The police car would be able to wirelessly connect to a vehicle to communicate with the driver. From there, it would be able to determine whether the offending vehicle deserved a ticket or citation.

This latest patent is a sign Ford is taking the next generation of technology seriously. With a goal of building autonomous vehicles by 2021, the American automaker is continuing to utilize all of its resources to develop self-driving technology.

While we here at Robbie Roberson Ford won’t have any automated police cars rolling off our lot anytime soon, we can at least hope to see more advanced systems on our Ford vehicles in the future.

The fantastic Ford SmartLink upgrades simply involve plugging a simple device into the OBD II port under the steering wheel.

Brand new cars can be equipped with some amazing technology, including things like Wi-Fi, remote start, vehicle health monitors, and more. But if you’ve been envying this technology from afar, you won’t have to anymore thanks to Ford.

Ford engineers have created an ingenious device called SmartLink that can give certain 2010-2016 model year Ford and Lincoln cars access to these and other great features.

The Ford SmartLink upgrades simply involve plugging a simple device into the OBD II port under the steering wheel. This device will then open up the world to vehicles not equipped with a modem.

After the update, owners should be able to enjoy Wi-Fi capable of supporting up to eight devices at once, remote connectivity to their vehicle, health and location alerts, and more. Owners will be able to connect to their vehicles through a companion app or Web Portal where they can activate features, see alerts, and even schedule service appointments.

“Ford SmartLink will surprise and delight owners of recent model-year vehicles by adding some of today’s most popular connectivity features” said Stephen Odell, executive vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service.

The Ford Mustang is known among enthusiasts as the original pony car that inspired the birth of the muscle car segment. The automaker recently unveiled the new and improved Mustang convertible following the debut of the coupe model. Both models will go on sale later this fall, much to the pleasure of performance lovers.

The new Ford Mustang convertible followed the unveiling of the coupe model at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. Like the coupe, the convertible will see plenty of styling upgrades as well.

For starters, both models will receive standard LED lights and a new customizable 12-inch digital instrument display. A refreshed hood and new fascias are on the docket as well. For the first time in more than 20 years, the Mustang won’t see a V6 engine in the lineup.

Instead, the 2018 Ford Mustang will see the addition of a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine that churns out a whopping 310 hp. The signature 5.0-liter V8 engine will keep its spot under the pony car’s hood.

While the new Ford Mustang convertible wasn’t on display at the Detroit Auto Show, it will head to more than 50 regional auto shows across the United States.

There are few full-size pickups as tough, capable, and reputable as the Ford Raptor. The highly-regarded pickup is making a comeback for the 2017 model year, much to the delight of enthusiasts everywhere. The return of the Ford Raptor is certainly something to be excited about, especially once you get a glimpse at what lies beneath the hood.

The Ford Raptor comes stocked with a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine that delivers a thrilling 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque and comes mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. That engine replaces the old 6.2-liter V8 that produced just 411 hp.

The new 10-speed automatic transmission, co-developed with General Motors for use in trucks and sports cars, features a switch on the steering wheel that can run through six driving modes. Drivers can choose between Normal, Sport, Weather, Mud/Sand, Baja, and Rock Crawl modes to optimize their ride over rough terrain.

The new Ford Raptor is more efficient than its predecessor, earning up to an EPA-estimated 15 mpg city/18 mpg highway. All-wheel drive comes standard and the Raptor is capable of hitting 60 mph in just over five seconds.